Graphical abstract This is the first study about the clinical and viral characteristics of patients with an initial diagnosis of chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Georgia. We found that the absolute majority (96%) were HBeAg-negative. Only a small number of patients (3%) had advanced liver fibrosis/cirrhosis at the time of diagnosis. Half of them had inactive diseases (HBV infection, without hepatitis), while approximately 1 of 10 patients (9%) had an active disease (chronic hepatitis), which urgently needs antiviral treatment. Surprisingly, one of four (24%) patients had a high viral load but normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT). With these data, we estimated that at least 12%–36% of patients with chronic HBV need antiviral treatment. Further studies are needed to identify the reasons for the high proportion of HBeAg-negative patients with high viral load and normal ALT. Image 1
【저자키워드】 Viral load, Viral hepatitis, Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis elimination,